Date:05/05/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/05/05/stories/2005050520290300.htm

New Delhi

Rain welcome but sweltering days ahead

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: The surprisingly pleasant weather over the past few days may have taken Delhiites by surprise, but the Capital may as well start preparing for the sweltering summer months ahead. According to the weatherman, the present spell may well change from Thursday and record a rising trend in temperature.

While the month of May -- one of the peak summer months -- does record four to five days of thunderstorms, this pleasant start to the month has brought with it a welcome fall in temperature. While the maximum temperature during this month normally hovers around 39 degrees Celsius, over the past few days, the mercury has been recording a maximum temperature between 30 to 35 degrees Celsius.

On Wednesday, the maximum temperature recorded was 34.8 degrees Celsius, while the minimum was 23.2 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature recorded on Tuesday was 34.3 degrees Celsius, while on Monday it was 33 degrees Celsius. "The temperature has been hovering between 30 and 35 degrees which is well below the normal for this season. There is a western disturbance system, which is responsible for this weather. However, the system is slowly moving eastwards and we may experience a rising trend in the temperature from Thursday," said the Director of the Met Department, R.D. Singh.

According to the forecast, the maximum temperature for Thursday will be around 36.0 degrees Celsius.

In terms of rainfall, the month of May usually records 17.9 mm of rainfall. Monday recorded a rainfall of 0.4 mm while on Tuesday the Capital received 2.2 mm of rain. On Wednesday, the Capital received trace rainfall till 8-30 in the evening. "This is not unexpected for the season. There has not been much rainfall over the past few days," said Dr. Singh.